The AMSA says that shipments dropped 20 percent in the first quarter of the year. It’s a trend that started in 2005 with the beginning of the mortgage crisis.

The Census Bureau also noticed that fewer Americans moved in 2008.

“There’s no doubt that many Americans – and as a result, our members – have been hard-hit by a triple-whammy,” said Linda Bauer Darr, AMSA president and CEO, in a prepared release. “A virtual halt in new home construction, followed by a tightening of the mortgage market, is still being felt and is likely to continue well into 2009. In addition, the scarcity of employment nationally removes a traditional reason to relocate – finding a better job.”